View a selection of images from Sligo Rovers’ 3-1 win over Finn Harps in The Showgrounds. Photography by James Fallon.

Sligo Rovers continued their impressive post-lockdown form despite not being at their best, as they saw off nine-man Finn Harps at the Showgrounds.

Mark Russell replied to Ryan De Vries’ first half opener, but a super strike from substitute Ronan Murray and a late Ronan Coughlan penalty sealed the win for Rovers who move into third.

Coming off the back of five wins in their last six, Sligo Rovers looked for a reverse result to their opening night defeat to the Donegal side.

And despite a slow start, it was Liam Buckley’s charges who struck first on seven minutes.

David Cawley’s free down the right flank released Lewis Banks. The ex-Stoke City man linked up with Jesse Devers whose cross was initially misjudged by Coughlan.

The striker’s blushes were spared however when attacking partner De Vries arrived to slot past the wrong-footed Mark McGinley who had already committed himself.

Cawley wasn’t too far away from doubling Rovers’ lead just the past the quarter hour. His bending free-kick from close range found its way past the Harps wall, but skipped just past the bottom of McGinley’s right hand post.

Sligo net minder Ed McGinty earned his first call up to the Irish under 21 squad recently. The Scottish born goalkeeper showing why, when he pulled off a magnificent reaction save from an Alexander Kogler header after Ryan Connolly had picked out the Austrian marksman in front of goal on 19 minutes.

Harps will look to their considerable experience to try and keep them in top flight football for 2021.

Central to their hopes is Barry McNamee who wasn’t too far off with an effort on 20 minutes which almost sneaked inside the far post after work down the left from Connolly.

Russell laced a volley over McGinty’s crossbar before the break, while the second period was seven minutes old when Kolger screwed Russell’s cross past the post as the visitors looked to make their mark.

Harps’ hard work finally paid off just short of the hour when Shane McEleney’s long throw caused panic in the Sligo penalty area. Russell on hand to blast past McGinty on the spin after Rovers failed to clear their lines.

Harps then lost Mark Coyle to a second yellow before boss Horgan was sent to the stands in the aftermath.

Sligo introduced Murray to proceedings on 66 minutes and the Mayo native had his first goal of the season seven minutes later.

Both Junior and De Vries had shots blocked down by a tenacious Harps back line. Murray was not to be denied however, as he stepped up to curl a delicious effort past McGinley from the edge of the area.

Rovers put the game beyond Harps’ reach five minutes from time when Coughlan coolly dispatched the penalty he himself won, as Harps were reduced to nine with Kosavar Sadiki cautioned for the second time.

Sligo Rovers: Ed McGinty; Lewis Banks, Kyle McFadden, Teemu Penninkangas, Regan Donelon; David Cawley, Niall Morahan; Ryan De Vries (Darragh Noone 75), Junior, Jesse Devers (Ronan Murray 66); Ronan Coughlan.

Finn Harps: Mark McGinley; David Webster (Karl O’Sullivan 74), Kosavar Sadiki, Stephen Folan (Gareth Harkin 81); Adrian Delap (Shane McEleney HT), Sam Todd; Ryan Connolly (Adam Foley 81), Mark Coyle, Barry McNamee; Alexander Kogler (Raff Cretaro 75), Mark Russell.

Sligo Rovers begin their second and final round of matches in the SSE Airtricity Premier Division when taking on Finn Harps in The Showgrounds, kick-off 7:45pm, live on WATCHLOI.

Rovers met Harps in February of this year where Ollie Horgan’s side emerged with a 1-0 success.

There is just a five-point gap between the sides and they both come into it on the back of successive victories, Rovers against Dundalk and UCD, Harps versus Waterford and Bray Wanderers.

It sets up an exciting fixture, the fourth last home league match in The Showgrounds this year.

In team news, Danny Kane (ankle), Darren Collins (ankle), Sigitas Olberkis (hamstring) and Johnny Dunleavy (knee) are out.

Alex Cooper (ankle) is a doubt and will be tested pre-game. Kyle Callan-McFadden has recovered from a hamstring injury sustained in the UCD game.

Liam Buckley said: “The first game was a disappointing outcome. It led on to us being bottom of the table for months on end which didn’t sit well with any of us. We’ve moved up the table somewhat but we can still improve.

“With the way things are, you can quickly find yourself back down there, or you can move further up. We look at things on a game-by-game baiss and we know how difficult this will be because of that night last February.

“Harps have picked up more results recently which isn’t a surprise, so this is another hard game as they all are.

“It is good to have a bit of normality with training where we are playing one game a week. John Mahon and Garry Buckley trained all week again and have done for a couple of weeks now.

“They are ready to come in, they could have featured in UCD but we wanted to get them as sharp as we could and not take any chances.

“Will Seymore was also back in the squad last week. It gives us more ability to tweak things when needed. There’s competition which is what we want.

“I was pleased with the number of chances created in UCD. We scored three goals. You’re not going to take all the chances you create and the important thing is continuing to come up with the opportunities.

“We are a work in progress, there is room for improvement, I have no doubt about it. Collectively there is still a lot more to come and we are seeing it in patches. We’d like to find that on a consistent basis.”

Ronan Coughlan was voted Player of the Month for August by Bit O’ Red fans in a hotly-contested vote, pipping the equally-impressive Kyle Callan-McFadden.

Buckley said: “Ronan has done very well for us, he’s worked his socks off and scored goals.

“A number of players have done very well and it’s about the team overall, not one or two individuals.

“We’re looking for a team performance every game and we feel if we can get them then we can move further up the table. That’s what we’re all looking for.”

Three games took place today (Saturday) at academy level.

At 2pm, Danny O’ Leary and our under 17 WNL team welcomed Shamrock Rovers to The Sean Fallon Centre. An entertaining game ensued with six goals shared evenly between both teams.

Sarah Kiernan’s goal kept Rovers level midway through the second half before two Shamrock Rovers goals looked to secure three points for the away side. The Bit O’ Red however wouldn’t give up and were rewarded when Kiernan grabbed her second of the game before a late Alison Langdon-Long strike made it three all.

This was a great game between two evenly matched sides. Credit must go to Rovers’ girls never say die attitude and fitness levels, given the lack of match practice in 2020.

Brian Dorrian’s under 19 side suffered a 5-2 defeat at Finn Park, Ballybofey this afternoon. Goals from Cillian Heaney and Ben Edeh proved only to be consolations. The two sides meet again next Sunday at The Sean Fallon Centre.

Alan Farry took his under 13 side North this morning to take on Ballinamallard United in a friendly. The boys ran out 4-2 winners thanks to an own goal added to strikes from Danny Woodrow, Callum Lynch and Darragh McKeon.

Our under 15 & 17 teams had the weekend off from competitive action.

Saturday sees our under 17 Women’s National League side finally open their season with a game against Shamrock Rovers at The Sean Fallon Centre.

Our opening two fixtures were postponed against Peamount United and Donegal, so the girls are eagerly awaiting tomorrow’s fixture.

Danny O’ Leary has had some time to work with the squad since arriving in August with training sessions at both at The Showgrounds and our partner IT Sligo’s training facilities. Unfortunately, the game is strictly behind closed doors with just one parent per player allowed watch the game.

Brian Dorrian takes his under 19 side to Finn Park to take on Finn Harps at the same time tomorrow in a curtain raiser to the senior fixture on Monday night at The Showgrounds.

It’s the team’s second game of the season and they will be hoping for an improved result than the 2-0 defeat against Derry City on match day one.

Our under 17 and 15 teams both have a weekend off from competitive action.

Alan Farry takes his under 13 squad to our friends at Ballinamallard for a friendly at 12 noon on Saturday.

We wish all players and staff the best of luck and wish to again thank all our underage sponsors:

Pure Telecom

EJ Menswear

Ivor Park Painter and Decorators

O’ Connor Cabins

Verus Metrology

The poll is now open for the Wehrly Bros Jewellers Player of the Month for August.

We are including the game with Derry City, plus wins against Shelbourne, Waterford FC, Dundalk and UCD.

Click here to vote.

The poll closes on Sunday.

Thanks to Wehrly Bros for sponsoring the prize. Wehrly Bros. Jewellers, located on O’Connell Street in Sligo, offer a comprehensive range of fine jewellery for all occasions. Shop online here

The revised fixture list for the remainder of the SSE Airtricity League season has been released.

Matches have been changed in order to facilitate the WATCHLOI service where each match has its own television slot.

Our game with Bohemians has been brought forward to Friday 18 September at 7:45pm, and will be live on RTÉ2.

The FAI Cup draw will then follow that match. That quarter-final tie will be on 13 November.

Our remaining two home league games after Bohemians will be 5pm kick-offs.

They are Sunday 11 October vs Derry City and Saturday 24 October vs Cork City.

Click here for the fixture list or here for the Sligo Rovers fixtures.

Our 500 club is one of the club’s most important fundraising initiatives, with the draw continuing each month over the COVID 19 pandemic, with prizes for the monthly draws remaining unaffected at €500 as the top prize.

If you are interested in joining, you can visit https://www.sligorovers.com/500-club/ for more information. The cost of joining is less than €5 per week over the course of a year.

The 500 Club was founded in 2003, and our aim is to keep the 500 Club going strong and increasing these numbers in the coming months.

Our winners for July were as follows:

• €500 – Dessie Kilcullen, Skreen.
• €100 – Joe Gannon, Rosses Point
• €100 – Paul Gileece, Circular Road
• €100 – Michael Conmy, Culleens, Co Sligo
• €100 – John Gerard, Lord Edward St, Sligo
• €100 – Stephen Gilroy, Tonaphubble
• €50 – Joe Davey, Ballisodare
• €50 – Niall Harrison, Cliffoney
• €50 – Sean Dwyer, Cartron Point, Sligo
• €50 – Patrick Gavin, Aylesbury Park, Sligo

The 500 Club winners for August were:

• €500 – Myles Phillips, Rathcormac
• €100 – Eddie Gethins, Cartron Estate
• €100 – Seamus Gallagher, Crossmolina, Co Mayo
• €100 – O’Brien & Brett, Ballinacarrow
• €100 – Aidan Meehan, Blue Lagoon, Sligo
• €100 – Ray Gallagher, Strandhill Road
• €50 – Noel Kelly, Teeling Street, Sligo
• €50 – Frank Clancy, Corofin, Galway
• €50 – Mark Mullholland, Markievicz Road, Sligo
• €50 – Frank Carr, Cedar Drive, Sligo.

We wish to thank the Friends of Sligo Rovers 500 Club committee for their continued hard work. Their efforts each year are a massive help to the football club.

Thanks to all those who are part of The 500 Club, and we invite supporters to join if they are able to do so.

It was another victory for our under 15 team on Saturday who defeated Finn Harps at The Sean Fallon Centre.

The lads fell behind early on after a cross from the right hand side was headed home at the back post to give Harps the lead.

Rovers reacted quickly and equalised through defender Niall Holohan, before goals from Ronan Clarke, Shay O’ Neill, Conor Devaney, Owen Elding and an Adam Nugent hat-trick helped the team to their third win of the season.

In Donegal, at the same time, our under 15 side recorded a 5-0 win over the same opposition.

Johnny Kenny scored his second hat-trick in as many games and Mayo man Aidan McHale scored a brace to seal the three points. The Rovers were solid defensively and dangerous in attack, with many fine performances on the day.

Our under 19 team had the disappointment of a postponement on Friday night, where they were due to travel to Bishopsgate to take on Longford Town. The game was called off due to a waterlogged pitch.

The under 13 squad had a 2-0 win over St Josephs of Dublin in a friendly at The Sean Fallon Centre on Sunday morning.

Our ladies team continued to train and prepare for this weekend’s game at home to Shamrock Rovers (2pm Saturday). Manager Danny O’ Leary and his squad will get their season underway with a tough test against the Dubliners at The Sean Fallon Centre.

Well done to all our staff, players and parents for their continued efforts in these challenging times.

Liam Buckley has told his Sligo Rovers players that they will enjoy the final stages of the season if they continue on the track they have laid down since the restart.

The Rovers boss credited the side with their “drive and commitment” to get the club away from the relegation zone, as well as reaching the quarter-finals of the FAI Cup last night thanks to a 3-1 success over UCD.

It was a fifth win in six games for the Bit O’ Red – the best run of form for the club in seven years – and goals have been flowing along with it.

Buckley told RTÉ Sport: “I’m pleased with the effort the lads are putting in. There is a drive and a commitment to get us out of trouble.

“We were bottom of the table for four months, albeit there was only four games played at that stage.

“That said, if we have that commitment right to the end of the season, it is much more enjoyable, it’s much more enjoyable to watch, to play in, so we just have to make sure that everyone is up for it.”

The Cup remains a competition close to the hearts of all associated with Rovers – something not lost on Buckley who said he wants the group to give it their all in the competition for themselves and the fans watching at home.

“A cup final is probably the best day of the season. As I said to the boys, it’s important for them as group to do as best they possibly can, and it’s more important for the fans. I have no doubt they’ve all been watching tonight.

“I thought in the second half we controlled it a lot better. We had quite a few chances and bagged our three goals.

“You’re always concerned when you concede and especially in a Cup game because you only have one chance in the Cup.

“We regrouped at half-time and there was more drive and commitment in relation to getting forward. I think we deserved our win”

“We have to make sure the quarter-finals, and hopefully a semi-final and final, that we put in 100% effort like we did tonight. It took serious concentration to break down this UCD team.”

Ronan Coughlan’s persistence led to another goal for the striker. Up to his powerful header from a Jesse Devers cross – who was key for the Bit O’ Red in the second half, it had been a frustrating evening.

Buckley said it was a sign of Coughlan’s class that he found the goal to put Rovers in front.

“Ronan’s goal was great, the passing up to it was very good. I’m delighted for him. As a centre-forward, having been there myself, you’re not going to score every chance you get.

“As long as keeps getting chances, he’ll keep scoring goals. He has done really well for us.”

One disappointment on the night was hamstring injuries to Kyle Callan-McFadden and Sigitas Olberkis.

The Rovers boss stated: “Kyle and Sigitas both have tight hamstrings. I’m not sure why that is happening. We just have to assess that in relation to going forward.

“That said we do have John Mahon back now, he is back in training for three or four weeks and Garry Buckley is back fit as well, there’ll be another week’s training for him.

“Will Seymore is back as well. It’s just unfortunate for the two lads, they are two quality players.”